Siren Song

Insolence Eau De Parfum by Guerlain

"One of the few fragrances built to work for three stages of a successful encounter: to draw someone's attention from across the room, to make flirtatious conservation for a few hours and to still smell fantastic the morning after."

This is a quote from Tania Sanchez (Tbone) & Luca Turin (Mr T) in the July issue of Allure. I heart them both!

My scent of the day is Insolence parfum. The early fans of this perfume were MUA's Cavewoman and Tbone.

It is an intoxicating mix of a ladylike violet with ripe berries. The ending is a mix of ambers and Tonka bean. It is a naughty alternative to Frederic Malle's Lipstick Rose.

So far...no "mens" are falling at my feet.

But it is early...

Let us know your favorite "man catcher" scents in the comments.

Disclosure: This decant was a gift from Tbone ions ago....

Fragrance Lecture With Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez

Who: Luca Turin and one of my favorite friends, Tania "Tbone" Sanchez. They are the authors of Perfume: The Guide.

When: Friday, Febuary 5th 2010 at 6:45 p.m.

Where: Embassy of France - Auditorium 4101 Reservoir Road, N.W.Washington, DC

What: A fragrance lecture, scented throughout with examples, delves into the enjoyment of fragrance, the chemical discoveries that made modern perfumery possible, and the enduring mystery of how our noses figure it all out.

Will there be booze?

Why...yes.
There will be a glass of bubbly.

Price: Reservations required. Prices range from $40 for general admission to $25 for members. No tickets will be sold at the door. Ticket and photo ID required for admission. Business attire.

Why You Should Attend: Because I wish I could.

I miss my Tbone and there is nothing like listening to the both of them dish on fragrance. It is a treat for any fragrance junkie.

And the guide is finally in paperback.

http://astore.amazon.com/residentassociat/detail/0143115014

BB: Do you silently judge people based on how they smell?

TS: Everyone I know has, at some point, said, “Holy crap! The perfume on that person was unbelievably vile.” Many women friends have come back from a date or something and said, “You would not believe how much Brut this guy sprayed on.”

LT: But If you were George Clooney, Brut would be just fine.

TS: If you were George Clooney, rancid butter would be just fine.

interview from Blackbookmag.com with Luca Turin and Tbone

http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/the-sweet-smell-of-success/2658

Virgins and Perfume

GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying :
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer ;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may go marry :
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.

TO THE VIRGINS, TO MAKE MUCH OF TIME.
by Robert Herrick

Read Luca Turin's review for the film Perfume at NZZ Folio:

He likes the smell of girls, though mysteriously he seems to find it evenly spread on their bodies. No fan of sustainable agriculture, he kills them. They tend to be virgins. By a small leap of logic much beloved of bigots through the ages, the deceased virgins’ smell represents Innocence. Once he has scraped off enough innocence from the young ladies (looked like an eighth of an ounce per virgin, they must have had oily skin) he mixes it all. Instead of smelling like a Moscow bus at rush hour, the mixture causes everyone, from police sergeant to executioner (he has in the meantime been caught) to fall to his knees in adoration.

Mercifully, side effects kick in: the crowd assembled to witness his execution starts tastefully fornicating on the village square. Innocence would never get EU approval: too unstable.

Read the whole review at:
http://tinyurl.com/2n85sw

Credits: NZZ folio/Luca Turin and luminarium.org/Robert Herrick and wikipedia.org/John William Waterhouse.

Chanel's 31 Rue Cambon

It was the perfumer's take on a modern chypre without the lovely oakmoss.

How did they do it?

I like to say pixie magic but according to Luca Turin it was a "pepper-iris accord."

This fragrance is sophisticated and terribly elegant.

It seems out of place in this vulgar state the world is currently in.

When you inhale this scent, you can not help to think of Kelly handbags, monogrammed compacts and white gloves.

This is not a scent that the Paris Hilton's of the world are wearing.

This is something Capucine wore to court William Holden.

It is available at Bergdorf Goodman

Call 1.800.558.1855 for details.

For info on Capucine:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capucine

Good News from Luca Turin about the Mitsouko reformulation:

Then some in-house people refused to mess with the formula and walked out, at which point Guerlain brought in the great Edouard Fléchier to fix the problem. He appears to have worked on it for a couple of years. Two days ago I got the new stuff, and it gives me great pleasure to report that Fléchier has done the impossible. The new Mitsouko conforms to all the rules and smells sensational, ever so slightly different, more bread-like up top, a touch less sweet below and with a slightly stronger iris note in the middle.

Read the rest here:
http://www.nzzfolio.ch/www/21b625ad-36bc-48ea-b615-1c30cd0b472d/showarticle/db2f412a-46df-4438-abdc-dcc672b2bac9.aspx